Walker Zimmerman. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

For the fourth time in five games, Nashville SC has lost without scoring a goal as they dropped another three points to Philadelphia Union at GEODIS Park on Wednesday night (July 12).

The loss was one of the most frustrating games Nashville has played all season and can be argued one of their worst performances in club history. The Boys in Gold were able to create some excellent opportunities but seemed like they couldn’t buy a goal. In the 52nd minute, Hany Mukhtar chipped the goalkeeper and hit the crossbar, nearly equalizing. In the 69th minute, Fafà Picault hit the left post on a chaotic corner kick sequence that saw Nashville earn two to three more opportunities that were blocked by Union defenders. In the 74th minute, Nashville earned a penalty for a handball in the box, only for it to be called back after a VAR review.

Moments from Randal Leal, Teal Bunbury and Lukas MacNaughton weren’t capitalized on. Outside of last week’s 2-0 win over D.C. United, Nashville has lost 1-0 to Montreal F.C., 2-0 to Columbus Crew and 1-0 to a very poor Chicago Fire side. But Wednesday’s loss just really put into perspective what needs to happen before fans can start to worry. They were creating chances and opportunities but just struggled to connect anything, especially in the second half.

“There were a couple of things that were very very influential here tonight, our lack of clinical edging in front of goal, opportunities to get our noses in front and in a tight game, that was always going to be important,” said head coach Gary Smith in a postgame press conference. “In the second half, I think we started very well, again with some opportunities to get back on level terms, and maybe make a bit of a game with it.”

On top of all these issues scoring, Nashville lost two players due to red cards with Daniel Lovitz receiving two yellow cards, both in the penalty box followed by Philly’s two goals, and Shaq Moore who received a straight red after getting into a physical altercation with Philadelphia’s Julian Carranza who was also sent off. Now NSC will be playing against the league’s best Cincinnati FC without their fullbacks. But this brings up another aspect of Wednesday’s game which was over 90 minutes of poor officiating from referee Sergii Boiko. Smith made his frustrations very clear, pointing out the inconsistency of calls on both teams.

“I think it was clear for everyone to see in the crowd that this inexperienced referee, which is what he is, I think we looked and he had 10 games in MLS, looked way way out of his depth tonight,” said Smith. “And it wasn’t just some of the decisions that were made regarding penalties, I in fact felt that they were both penalties against us. It certainly looked as if they were clear cut fouls, but that’s not what I’m criticizing here. There were so many other decisions within the run of play.”

Smith pointed out a handful of calls and non-calls that he couldn’t believe Boiko made which allowed the game to get out of hand due to the fact that some players took advantage, said Smith.

“There were so many different situations that he just looked flummoxed about. There were clear cut fouls that we made, that were so obviously fouls that he just let go,” said Smith. “And what happens then is, you’ve got a serious game here, two vs. four (in the standings) three points behind us, game in hand for Philadelphia, it was always going to be competitive because of that reason. We’ve had very good games against Philly in the past, so expect there’s going to be a like minded game, you’ve got to have somebody in the middle who’s going to be strong enough to deal with that situation. And it was obvious from minute one that he (Boiko) just couldn’t quite appreciate what a foul was, consistency within making those decisions and then of course the game gets aways from him.”

The next step for the Boys in Gold is to move on from this regrettable performance and try to prepare for top-seated Cincy. Trying to find a way to finish scoring opportunities while in the middle of this cold stretch and without your two fullbacks (Moore and Lovitz) is going to be extremely difficult but they have to make something work for Saturday (July 15).

“We haven’t scored a goal in four out of the last five games and I think tonight is more of a unique situation for all of the things we’ve spoken about. But there is no doubt about it, if we’re going to fight for the top four, if we’re going to be in a good spot, we’ve got to get something out of the game,” said Smith.

“And as I look back on a lot of games that I’ve been involved in, if you’re creating chances there’s always an opportunity for those guys to break through that barrier of disappointment and frustration and get themselves on a roll. If you’re not creating chances, that’s a totally different story.”

Nashville SC will visit Cincinnati this weekend to take on their rival in a game where NSC needs to pull out points.

Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar and Walker Zimmerman have been selected to the 2023 MLS All-Star Game vs English Premier League team Arsenal in Washington D.C. on July 19. The match can be seen on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.

Mukhtar, the 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP, appeared in his first MLS All-Star festivities in 2022 in Minnesota by participating in the All-Star Game against LIGA MX as well as in the Skills Challenge. The German became the Skills Challenge’s hero as he hit the crossbar from distance sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Following a 2022 MVP and Golden Boot season, Mukhtar is in route to claiming back-to-back titles in 2023, as he leads MLS in goals scored (13) and goal contributions (20). Earlier this year, Mukhtar was named the MLS Player of the Month of May, after a hat trick performance against Chicago Fire FC on May 6, while guiding Nashville SC to five consecutive home wins, a club record. The sensation continued with a heroic start to June as he recorded a hat trick against the then Western Conference leaders St. Louis CITY SC. Mukhtar propelled the Boys in Gold to a 10-match unbeaten streak (7W-0L-3D), the best in club history.

Making his fourth consecutive All-Star appearance, Zimmerman has been selected to the most All-Star Games of anyone on the 2023 roster. Zimmerman has anchored the best backline in MLS this season, allowing a league low 16 goals in league play, while competing at a high level at both the club and country. Offensively the Nashville SC captain started the 2023 campaign in a loud way as well, scoring the game-winning goal on opening day at GEODIS Park against New York City FC on Feb. 25.

With the United States Men’s National Team, Zimmerman has registered five caps this calendar year including two appearances in route to a Nations League Tournament win in Las Vegas Nevada with victories over Canada and Mexico.

Hany Mukhtar celebrating a goal with his teammates. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

Hany Mukhtar was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday for Matchday 19 after scoring a hat trick against St. Louis City on Saturday (June 17) at GEOIDS Park.

This marks the second time this season Mukhtar has earned the award. He claimed the first on Matchday 11, when he recorded a hat trick against Chicago Fire FC at GEODIS Park on May 6.

Mukhtar now has eight Player of the Matchday honors in his career and is the fourth player in MLS history to win multiple Player of the Matchday honors in three consecutive seasons. He stands alongside Bradley Wright-Phillips, Sebastian Giovinco and Josef Martínez in accomplishing the feat.

The Reigning 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP got the party started on Saturday night with his fastest goal of the season in the 11th minute after a cross in the box by Shaq Moore from the right side was deflected towards Mukhtar—in the middle of the box—who then hammered it home. Mukhtar converted a penalty for his second goal after Jacob Shaffelburg was taken down from behind in the box.

The hat trick came after Dax McCarty set the German attacker with a nifty flick. Alone against the St. Louis keeper, Mukhtar delivered his final goal of the night. He now has four career MLS hat tricks and is just the 12th player in league history to hit that mark. The midfielder’s first goal was also his 50th over the past three seasons. With that goal, he became the third player in league history to score 50 goals and add 30 assists over a three-year span, joining Giovinco (2015-2017) and Robbie Keane (2012-2014, 2013-2015).

This season, Mukhtar leads all MLS players in goals (13) and goal contributions (20) and has recorded a goal or an assist in 10 of his last 13 league matches. He is also the only player in MLS to have an active streak of 10 goals and five assists in three straight seasons.

Mukhtar continues to make his case to become the first player in MLS history to win back-to-back Landon Donovan MLS MVP awards. When compared to his MVP season in 2022, he has four more goals and two extra assists through Matchday 18 in 2023. Mukhtar has scored multiple goals 14 times, as Nashville has never lost when he scored multiple goals owning a 12W-0L-2D record. Additionally, he has contributed to 90 of Nashville SC’s 159 goals in club history (56 goals, 34 assists).

Mukhtar and Nashville SC will hit the road for a pair of away matches this week, traveling north of the border to take on CF Montréal on Wednesday (June 21) before visiting Columbus Crew on Saturday (June 24). Both matches are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT and can be seen on MLS Season Pass in the Apple TV app and heard on 104.5 The Zone.

Aníbal Godoy and Walker Zimmerman. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

Nashville Soccer Club in conjunction with the Federations of U.S. Soccer and Panama have announced the additions of defender Walker Zimmerman (United States) and midfielder Aníbal Godoy (Panama) to their respective National Team rosters ahead of the Concacaf Nations League Semifinals.

Zimmerman has become a cornerstone for the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) backline, earning 40 caps with 34 starts, while serving as Captain nine times. The centerback made his National Team debut in February of 2017 and has made 29 appearances since 2020.

In 2023, Zimmerman has earned three caps, serving as Captain twice. In 2022, he made 14 appearances, earning a 6W-3L-5D record, nine clean sheets and a Round of 16 appearance in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He also made 10 appearances in 2021, leading the United States to an 8W-1L-1D record, with six clean sheets and a 20-6 positive goal differential.       

Godoy is a mainstay on the Panamanian squad, earning 124 caps with 96 starts, while serving as captain 16 times. In 2022, Godoy made 12 appearances for Panama, earning a 4W-3L-5D record and serving as captain seven times. He appeared in five Concacaf World Cup Qualification matches, recording the lone goal in a 5-1 loss to the USMNT.  

Godoy has appeared in three matches in the Concacaf Nations League, recording an assist against Martinique in a 5-0 win on June 10, 2022 and then captaining Panama in their next meeting with Martinique on June 13, 2022. Godoy last appeared with Panama across a series of friendlies in November against Saudi Arabi, Venezuela and Cameroon. 

This season, Godoy leads the team in passing accuracy at 90.5 percent and has anchored the Nashville SC midfield during their eight-match unbeaten streak, recording 75 minutes or more of action in seven of the eight matches. Nashville SC has been dominant with Godoy’s presence, as the club owns a 18W-7L-7D record in his appearances since 2022.

Zimmerman and the USMNT will take on Mexico, while Godoy and the Panama Men’s National Team will face Canada on June 15  at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Kickoff for the Panama Semifinal match is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT, while the USA Semifinal match will immediately follow at 9 p.m. CT. Both matches will broadcast live on Paramount+, with the winner from each match advancing to the Concacaf Nations League Final at 7:30 p.m. CT on June 18.